1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to handlebar-mounted cable controls for caliper-type bicycle brakes or other cable operated devices, and more particularly, to such a cable control mounted at the end of a handlebar for coaxial rotation thereabout.
2. Description of the Related Art
Handlebar-mounted bicycle caliper brake cable controls generally are provided in two basic configurations. The first employs a lever-type hand control whereby the rider, whose hands are positioned on the handlebar, must extend his fingers to grasp the lever and pull it towards the handlebar. The rider moves the lever, connected by a sheathed brake cable to the caliper brake, to overcome a spring-loaded biasing force which normally maintains the calipers in an open position, to clamp the brake shoes against the wheel rim to stop the bicycle.
This prior art configuration has several drawbacks, including the fact that in emergency situations, the rider must quickly move his hands to the correct position on the handlebar to activate the brake lever in time to stop the bicycle. If the rider's reaction is delayed, the brake levers may not be properly gripped, and the bicycle may not be stopped when desired.
A further drawback of the lever type brake control is that a certain amount of finger strength is required to exert sufficient force on the lever to obtain positive braking. Riders with relatively weak hands and fingers, such as children and the elderly, may have difficulty exerting sufficient force on lever type brake controls to obtain positive braking. Also, these two groups of riders often have inherently slower emergency reaction times, thus increasing the potential for accidents due to a failure to maintain proper brake control.
The second prior art type of handlebar-mounted brake cable control employs a hollow hand grip member axially rotatable about ends of the handlebar. To activate the brakes, the rider twists the hand grip member, which is connected to the brake by a cable in a fashion similar to the lever type control described previously. The hand grip type of control obviates some of the drawbacks of the lever type control in that the omission of the lever removes the necessity to place the hands in as specific a location on the handlebar prior to braking. This decreases the emergency reaction time. In addition, the rider does not have to loosen his grip on the handlebar to activate the brakes. The rider merely rotates the grip by twisting his wrists, the muscles of which normally are stronger than the finger muscles. Thus, the hand grip type of brake control permits faster reaction time and requires less effort to operate.
Conventional rotatable hand grip brake cable controls have not been widely accepted. This is due in part to the relatively complex linkages and brackets normally found on such devices, which are also relatively expensive to manufacture, assemble and maintain compared to the lever type controls. Furthermore, in conventional rotatable hand grip controls, portions of the cable linkage related thereto are often mounted on the exterior of the handlebar, where they are exposed to damage, and may cause injury to the rider, especially in emergency situations when the rider must move his hands quickly along the handlebar to the hand grip controls.
Furthermore, in both types of conventional brake controls, the end of the cable connected to the controls often is exposed to weather elements, and is thus susceptible to corrosion. Corroded brake cable ends often become rusted within the sheathing, making the brakes difficult to operate, if not inoperable.
Thus, there is a need for a bicycle brake control which is easily accessible in emergencies, requires relatively little force to activate, is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble and has a minimum of exposed components.